1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to drapery rods employed for supporting draperies, vertical blinds, and other such retractable window treatments. More particularly the device relates to a telescoping drapery support rod or housing, which may be motorized or may be operated by hand.
The device provides great utility to the art in that unsophisticated users, such as homeowners, can install the device to conform to a wide variety of different sized window widths with no modification to the device. Width adjustments for installation are easily accomplished without the need to cut or otherwise modify or alter the mechanical components engaged to form the rod. Neither is there any need to cut the flexible member such as a cable or cord, which remains fixed in length, no matter the installed length of the telescopic rod. Once installed, the device is immediately operable for the translation of draperies and the like, from closed to open positions.
2. Prior Art
Conventional drapery rods provide a mount for curtains, blinds, and other window treatments of which can be smoothly slid to closed or open positions. Typically the support rod is a round or rectangular tube wherein hooks or support rings are slidably engaged in a formed track or upon the exterior of the tube. The support rings engaged upon the tube provide translating mounting points for individual blinds, fabric curtains, or the like.
Alternatively, conventional support rods may internally house a system of gears and pulleys along with flexible members such as ropes or cables engaged thereon to operate along a serpentine path. Hooks or support rings are engaged to portions of the flexible member and traverse a path along the length of the rod as the flexible member does the same. Translation of the flexible member, such as an internal cable or rope about the pathway, is provided through employment of a manually-powered or a motorized drive pulley operatively engaged therewith. In this fashion, translation of the flexible member, translates the hooks or support rings along a track to render the hanging window treatment to the desired closed or open position.
The flexible member so formed of a cord or rope and operatively engaged with pulleys provides a number of travel paths for engaged blinds or curtains. So engaged, the blinds or curtains located on an opposite distal end of the rod, can be simultaneously translated toward and away from a midpoint between an open and closed position. An alternative closed position may also be accomplished by translating blinds or curtains located at one end of the rod, to the other end.
As can be seen, conventionally, the flexible member provided by the moving cable or rope, accomplishes the translation of the engaged curtain or blinds in either direction. Movement in both directions is provided by translating the flexible member in a continuous serpentine path about a continuous looping track formed around pulleys from one end of the rod to the other in a substantially horizontal fashion. In this conventional configuration, engaging draperies to the rope or cable on either side of the looping track at the distal ends, and driving the drive pulley to translate the engaged rope or cable, will cause the draperies to simultaneously translate.
In more recent years due to increased demand, manufacturers have begun to provide more expensive higher quality models of drapery rods which are motorized to cause a powered translation of the engaged draperies or curtains. Such motorized configurations are conventionally significantly more expensive and they are thus often seen in luxury homes and hotels.
With the provision of motorized drapery rods, a user is provided with an effortless means to close and open blinds and curtains with the push of a button. While such current motorized versions are high priced, there is additional expense due to the custom sized nature of each individual drapery rod requiring customized manufacturing and the required expert installation.
Such customization is labor intensive and by nature very expensive since conventional motorized drapery rods currently on the market must be manufactured offsite. However this is only after the required measurements and dimensions of each specific window are taken by installers knowledgeable in the art.
Once the custom measurements have been taken and the desired length is known, further customization is often required. This requires that the custom-sized rod have the mechanical components such as the pulleys, ropes, and gears operatively fixed with a support rod engaged to the measured length, whereafter a motor is attached.
In operation, the motor essentially performs the function of translating the rope or lanyard which conventionally was performed by the user manually pulling a vertically disposed cable or rope. Such a device can be seen in US. Pub. No. US2009/0283225A1 to Luger.
However, this and similar conventional motorized drapery devices fall short for widespread manufacture and use in that the mechanical components driving the operations of the device, are generally fixed within the device only after the desired length for the rod at its installation position on a window has been determined. Again, this requires professional measurement and installation far beyond the scope and ability of homeowners.
Consequently, these desirable motorized curtain rods must be custom built for each respective differently-sized window. This not only drives up costs it also increases assembly time and restricts widespread use. Additionally, if the curtain rod is mistakenly manufactured in the wrong length to accommodate a particular window width, the housing forming the rod cannot simply be extended or shortened to correct the imperfect length without a complete alternation of all the internal mechanical components. This is especially true where the flexible member is employed around fixed pulleys to operate the drapes or other window treatment.
As a consequence, the manufacture, installation, and use of motorized drapery and curtain rods, continues to be expensive and generally installed only in luxury homes and hotels. As such, there is a continuing and unmet need for an adjustable manual or motorized traversing drapery rod system, which is user-adjustable on-site to match the installation requirements. Such a device should allow for manufacture of traversing drapery rods in sizes which expand and contract to fit a plurality of different windows between a maximum and minimum size. Such a device should be easily extended and contracted to a desired length for a respective installation, without the need to alter the mechanical components or cables or belts or ropes which drive the operations of the device. Such a device would as such, be so easy to install since no alterations or cutting are required on-site, to adapt it to window widths, that adept laypersons and homeowners can install them without difficulty.